King Charles Announces Major Staff Shake-up — and It May Not Sit Well With Prince Harry
King Charles's soon-to-be press secretary has ruffled Prince Harry's feathers during his days in the royal family.
King Charles has announced an exciting staff shakeup in Buckingham Palace's communications department, following the departure of his former press secretary, Lauren Sullivan. In a not-so-surprising move, he has appointed renowned Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills as media secretary to both him and Queen Camilla. Interestingly, Charles's decision to hire Mills may not sit too well with Prince Harry, particularly after he had given her a dressing down for pestering him during his 2019 solo trip to South Africa.
As part of her job, Mills has covered the royal family extensively for decades, interviewing the King, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of Sussex in the past. She has also travelled the world with them, most notably to Japan, Africa, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia. Her description on the Sky News website mentions how Harry had once told her about his plans to have a family in 2015, while Prince William spoke to her about the late Queen Elizabeth's support after the death of his mother. She is reportedly looking forward to being the deputy to Tobyn Andreae, director of communications for the royal household, and is expected to begin her role before the summer.
Commenting on her recent appointment, a Palace source told HELLO!, "The exact date of her arrival is yet to be confirmed, but when Rhiannon joins us sometime before summer, she will, of course, bring with her a wealth of broadcasting and digital storytelling experience, combined with deep knowledge of royal matters accrued over a decade of reporting from 'the frontline of history.'" Meanwhile, Jonathan Levy, executive editor and managing director of Sky News, said, "Rhiannon has made a great contribution to Sky News… We wish Rhiannon the very best in her new role with King Charles."
As for her tensions with Harry, Mills once revealed on The Sun's Royal Exclusive Show that she had unintentionally bothered him during his solo trip to Angola and Malawi. She said, "It was a rubbish question. I just sort of said, 'Oh, why is it so important for you to come here?' And he [Harry] looked at me and said, 'Oh, well, just go and ask those people over there.'" After she fessed up, reiterating her question, she claimed the Duke turned around and sneered, "Rhiannon, don't behave like that." She added, "And then he [Harry] got in his car and drove off. I felt like I'd looked like an idiot."
